Magically Kinky!

snow

Okay, I’ve had enough. We’ve had bad winters before, we live in the Northeast, snow is to be expected in the winter. And this one probably isn’t as bad as others we’ve endured. But it seems worse.

In the last several years, we’ve had very unusual weather events. The year before Hurricane Sandy hit, we had a huge snowstorm in October, right before Halloween. The leaves hadn’t even finished falling off the trees, making the load of snow even worse. The sound of a tree snapping as it falls over is one of the worst sounds I’ve ever heard, right up there with the crunch of metal during a car accident. We were lucky it didn’t hit the house, but it did take out power lines. That was three days of missed school, but the rest of that winter was relatively calm.

Then there was Sandy, which devastated so much of the NYC Tri-State area, and the Jersey Shore. I had friends who had to be rescued from their homes by boat – out the second floor window! They lost everything below their second floor, all of their cars, and most of their belongings. Schools were closed for at least a week, some longer, because it took so long to get power restored, flood waters drained, etc. Again, the rest of the season was thankfully major event free.

But this just feels worse than usual. I’m not sure why – maybe because the kids have already used up their allotted snow days and are moving into the “take back days off in the spring” phase. Or worse, add days to the end of the year! Maybe it’s because I’m still unemployed and having the kids here is a death blow to my productivity. Maybe it’s because my 17 year old daughter is not happy when I won’t let her take the car out on icy roads. Or maybe it’s because even my kids are sick of snow (not the snow days though – that’s ALWAYS good for them!).

Or maybe it’s because we’re barely halfway through February. Winter isn’t over and that damned groundhog predicted 6 more weeks of winter. I’d like to have a word with that rodent – and the people who shine a million lights on him as he comes out of his home. Of course he’s going to see his shadow with that many watts blasting directly on him!

Today’s storm is going to last until tomorrow. Which likely means another snow day, though at this point, I’m hoping for a delayed opening. The rate we’re going, the kids will be in school until July, though there are a couple towns considering Saturday classes to avoid other methods of make-up days. I can’t see that going over too well here, but anything is certainly possible. Once one town does it, and it works, others will follow suit.

All I know is, it’s getting to the point I’m afraid to drive just because I can’t see around the ten foot piles of snow when trying to make a turn. If I can’t see, the other drivers can’t see me, and with slick roads, it’s a recipe for disaster. I haven’t seen grass in weeks. Even squirrels and birds have been mostly scarce.

Maybe I should go write a few of my signature love scenes – will that melt the snow? It should, but then we’ll have a flooding issue. Never a dull moment!

So we survived the blizzard. Not that there was really any doubt, the only concern was if the wind would knock out power. It didn’t. But events like this conspire to keep you from your goals. It’s a regular block party on our street, with everyone out shoveling and plowing and snow-blowing. I did get a lot of laundry done, organized and put away the bulk of the Christmas presents and in general got the house together. Which it needed.

The kids enjoyed it – they played for a few hours, had snowball fights and the like, came in for soup and hot cocoa and played with their Christmas toys. Nice life, eh? lol

Overall, we were lucky. There are horror stories of people stranded in their cars, on trains, in the airport, for hours. People literally abandoned their cars, as it became clear it was the only way they’d get home. Haven’t heard of any injuries or deaths in our area, thankfully, but part of me has to wonder. Some of these people admitted getting on the road at 6:00pm or later, when the storm was at one of its worst points. I mean, really? Come on, have you not listened to the radio or watched TV in the last few hours? Didn’t they tell you to STAY AT HOME?

I will give some people who had no choice the benefit of the doubt. There were those that definitely had to at least try to get to work. But the others, who decided let’s go see how bad it really is, or maybe we can get over to cousin Joey’s house and spend the storm with them, just boggle my mind. When the state declares a State of Emergency, usually that means the roads and other travelways are impassible. Technically, you’re supposed to stay off the roads so the emergency crews can clear and get through as needed. If you venture out in such conditions, you’re only going to get stuck, so why not just stay where you are? It’s warm, you have food, and if anything dire should happen, emergency services know how to get to you.

But it’s all over, save the mountains of snow all over the place which make driving a delight. I really am not a big fan of snow, it annoys me. I’d like a few inches, enough to cause a snow day, then have it all melt completely away by the next day. Oh well, the price you pay for living in NJ, I suppose.

So for now, I’ll dream of May, which leads to summer, and beach vacations, and pool parties and barbecues. It’ll be here fast enough!